The highlight of the fall premiere season for me so far is 'Ringer' - and I'm so glad. I wanted to like it and was worried I wouldn't, but the pilot impressed me. I like the film noir feel, the fantastic cinematography and the (admittedly plot-heavy) set-up for a cracking good thriller. Like so many others, I loved Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy, but I've been underwhelmed by her film roles, and began to doubt if she could anchor anything without Joss Whedon's writing to guide her.

But it turns out she's perfectly cast as a recovering addict who is exhausted and run-down, but still has glimmers of spunk. Gellar's Bridget is a nice person, but weak. She doesn't make choices so much as she lets circumstances wash over her. It's frustrating to watch, and she's not the easiest character to sympathize with.

Last Saturday, many of the CW's brightest stars dropped by the Warner Bros. studio lot in Burbank to celebrate the start of a new fall season, and AOL TV was on hand to grab some fresh scoop about your favorite shows straight from the source.



We caught up with the casts of 'The Vampire Diaries,' 'Nikita,' 'Supernatural,' 'Ringer' and 'The Secret Circle' for a sneak peek of what's coming up after new episodes premiere, so join us after the jump for a cavalcade of spoilers.

'Ringer' premiered to an audience of 2.7 million viewers, pretty good -- but not great -- by CW standards. The show's first episode was watched by 1.2 million adults in the 18-49 demographic.

Sarah Michelle Gellar's return to TV sees the 'Buffy' veteran pulling double-duty. She plays twin sisters, Bridget and Siobhan, both with ties to some unsavory figures.

It's too early to talk about cancellation, the show has yet to go up against ratings champs 'Dancing With the Stars' and 'NCIS: LA.' The CW's '90210' premiere was watched by 1.6 million viewers, 0.8 in the 18-49 demographic. It was down 11 percent compared to last year's premiere.

['Ringer' S01/E01 -- 'Pilot']

'The Lying Game' may have done the twin switch thing on television a few weeks ago for ABC Family, but it couldn't come close to matching the slick production and dense plot layering we saw with the series premiere of 'Ringer' (Tue., 9PM ET on The CW).

Sarah Michelle Gellar made her much-anticipated return to television with a role so big, she had to get two parts. And while sisters Siobhan and Bridget only shared a couple of scenes together, Gellar proved rather adept at carrying on an emotional conversation with herself, such as it is.

Survivor: South Pacific - Wednesday September 14, 8PM ET/PT, CBS/Global

'Survivor' returns, looking a lot like last season. The Redemption Island twist is back, as are two previous castaways, Coach and Ozzy. Which is a far cry from Rob and Russell, but I can see why the producers would be eager to reproduce the experiment that led to such an interesting game last time. Another round of Coach wisdom is just about the last thing I was hoping for but I imagine he'll get himself voted off pretty quick. The other thing that hasn't changed -- the prize is still a million dollars. It makes you wonder when they're gonna get a cost-of-living or inflation raise on this show.

Let's get this straight: Michelle Trachtenberg only plays a pot dealer on TV. If you happen to overhear the actress discussing her side job while walking down the street, know that it's only her role as college student Emma on the seventh season of 'Weeds' that she's talking about.

Emma has caused plenty of trouble for the fresh-outta-prison Nancy Botwin (Mary Louise Parker), as the two women fight over the same New York City territories for their dueling weed businesses. "Emma is probably just as ruthless as Nancy is, except without as much of the experience," Trachtenberg told AOL TV when she called us last week to discuss her 'Weeds' guest arc.

Below, the 25-year-old actress expounds on what it's like to deal drugs (fictionally, of course), hooking up with Hunter Parrish and the A-list star she's modeling her career after.

Facts must be faced: 'Ringer,' Sarah Michelle Gellar's new identity-switcheroo drama, is a little bit silly.

'Ringer' (9PM ET Tuesday, the CW) isn't terrible. But it's less than it could be, and it has yet to present viewers with compelling reasons for putting up with its contrivances.

Props to 'Ringer' for even attempting a film noir atmosphere on a CW budget, but when a noir doesn't have a sense of visual flair or the right tone of wounded melancholy -- yet takes itself seriously -- it can quickly start to feel mildly cheesy, if not ponderous.

In 'Ringer,' Gellar plays identical twins, and if you value your health, you won't do a shot every time one of her characters is shown in a mirror. (Get it? Two sisters! Identical twins! Mirror images! Get it?)

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12

'Gaga By Gaultier' (8PM ET, The CW) special presentation
Pop star and fashion icon Lady Gaga meets legendary fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier in a wide-ranging and unforgettable interview at Gaultier's fabulous atelier in Paris, discussing everything from her meteoric rise to fame, secret backstage details, her unique relationship with her fans, and her passionate love for fashion and art.

'Bachelor Pad' (8PM ET, ABC) season finale
In the first hour, the remaining four couples compete in a Cirque du Soleil test of acrobatic prowess judged by Trista Sutter, Jason Mesnick and Ali Fedotowsky. The winning couple will choose which pair will join them for the final judging in the second hour, in which the previous contestants return to vote for the couple they find most deserving of $250,000.

'The Closer' (9PM ET, TNT) summer finale
The team searches for clues following the shooting of a deputy sheriff, and Brenda's case comes to a head after the judge makes a critical decision.

While The CW has made its name producing wonderfully addictive, soapy dramas, the network is also known for the incredible attractiveness of all the PYTs it casts. Think about it: Have you ever seen an un-hot person on that channel? (That's our new PC term for ugly.) The answer is no, you have not.

Therefore, in the interest of journalism -- obviously we do this for you, readers -- we perused the photo galleries on the network's press site to for photo evidence of the aforementioned hypothesis. In other words, we found the drool-worthiest snapshots of The CW's many muscle-bound men and put them in a gallery for us you to enjoy.

It's a hard job, but somebody's gotta do it. Again, you're welcome.

After 8 years away from TV, Sarah Michelle Gellar returns this fall in 'Ringer,' one of the more talked-about pilots of the season. Never one to back away from a challenge, our girl comes back not as one character, but two -- identical twins Bridget and Siobhan. As SMG herself pointed out at Comic-Con, she's doing this for the love of the game, not the paycheck (only soap stars get paid extra when they take on an evil twin/clone/long lost cousin side project). In honor of her noble dedication to her craft, here's a few other actresses who've gotten multiple listings in a TV credit.

Welcome back to TV (and our hearts), Logan Echolls. According to EW, 'Veronica Mars' star Jason Dohring has booked a recurring role on The CW's Sarah Michell Gellar-fronted 'Ringer.'

Dohring will play Mr. Carpenter, a high school teacher to Juliet (Zoey Deutch), the stepdaughter to Gellar's Siobhan character.

In the CW drama, Gellar plays a set of twins, Siobhan and Bridget. Bridget is recovering addict trying to get her life back together and Siobhan seemingly has it all. Seemingly being the key word.

After 'Veronica Mars,' Dohring starred in 'Moonlight' and made guest appearances on 'Lie to Me,' 'CSI' and 'Party Down.'

Jason Alexander is heading back to NBC. The 'Seinfeld' veteran will appear on the fifth episode of 'Harry's Law' Season 2.

According to TV Guide, Alexander will play Richard, a public school teacher who's suspended after he fails a student. The reason the character handed out an F? The student, Zack, called Darwinism "a crock."

Kathy Bates' Harriet Korn takes the case to court.

Alexander recently made a guest appearance on TNT's 'Franklin & Bash.'

'Harry's Law' premieres Sept. 21 at 9PM on NBC.

In other casting news ...

Zooey! Jorge and Michael! Sarah Michelle (with or without her magical crabs)! Welcome to Part 4 of our critics roundtable debate, all about the stars we're most excited to see on our TVs this year.

Here's a little backstory: during the recent Television Critics Association (TCA) press tour, I gathered a group of my fellow critics and turned on the cameras while we talked all about the best and worst of fall TV, and this one has the most laughs.


I've split our chat into five insightful videos -- best new comedy, best new drama, worst new show and star we're happiest to see on TV (watch all four below), and returning show we're most excited for (posting Friday) -- so check back tomorrow for the last installment.

For now, join me and HitFix.com's Alan Sepinwall, Melanie McFarland from IMDb TV, Damian Holbrook of TV Guide Magazine and AOL TV's own Mo Ryan to find out which stars we're most excited to see on TV.

And watch until the very end for a hilarious (to us, at least) crabby outtake ... anyone else ever sat through 'Simply Irresistible'?

There's no disputing that 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' changed the face of television (as a reporter pointed out at the Television Critics Association Press Tour Thursday morning, it's the most written-about TV series of all time in academic circles), so the CW knows that it's on to a winner with 'Ringer,' Sarah Michelle Gellar's triumphant return to TV.

But bringing back Sarah Michelle Gellar and 'The O.C.'s' Rachel Bilson ('Hart of Dixie') in the same season might be the one-two punch that The CW needs to land a knockout to primetime and shake off the assumption that it's a network for teenagers who subsist on the frothy fare like '90210' and 'Gossip Girl.' CW president Mark Pedowitz certainly expressed hope that 'Ringer' might attract a wider crowd and a larger demo than their 18-34 niche, while the good-natured 'Hart of Dixie' should appeal to fans of old-school WB programming like 'Gilmore Girls' and 'Everwood'.

Check out our highlights from the two panels after the jump.

Odette Annable is joining the cast of 'House' as a series regular. Fear not, 'Breaking In' fans, there is a plan in place should Fox decide to revive the Christian Slater comedy.

According to Deadline, Annable's deal with the show does allow her time to go back to 'Breaking In' if the show gets a Season 2 from Fox.

No details on Annable's new 'House' character have been released, other than that she meets House in prison.

Producers are still looking to cast a replacement for Lisa Edelstein's boss character.

In other casting news ...